Disasters and emergencies come in all types. Burlington may experience several weather related emergencies, including flooding, high winds, power outages, severe winter storms, severe summer storms or drought. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know that the City declared a Climate Emergency in 2019 and we are working on building our climate … More Take Action for Emergency Preparedness
Now is the time to see the amazing natural event that is annual spring bird migration! Spring migration begins in mid-March and ramps up through April, before peaking in mid-May with the arrival of the colourful warblers. Some birds are returning to the Burlington area to choose a breeding territory, while others stop over briefly … More May is for the Birds
The City of Burlington has been recognized by the Arbour Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a Tree City of the World. This is the first time the City of Burlington has been recognized for this prestigious status for leading the way in urban and community forestry. To … More Burlington recognized as a Tree City of the World
Our climate is changing and is becoming warmer, wetter and wilder. Floods are now the most frequent natural disaster in Canada. In 2014, about two months’ worth of rain fell during eight hours in parts of Burlington affecting 3,000 households and resulting in $90 million in insured damages. Did you know that the average cost … More Reduce Your Risk of Flooding with These Programs
For over 50 years, Earth Day has been celebrated on April 22. We can all do our part to thank our Earth for providing us with air, land and water. Whether you choose to show your appreciation by picking up litter, walking or cycling to your nearby destination, growing plants that attract pollinators, or adding … More Earth Day and Spring Activities
Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007 as a symbolic movement to turn lights off for one hour to raise awareness about climate change. Support quickly grew to 35 countries in 2008 and 192 countries in 2022. Over the years, the Earth Hour message was expanded to include awareness about the loss of biodiversity … More Celebrating Earth Hour Beyond the Hour
Our climate is changing, and we are experiencing warmer, wetter and wilder weather. There are things we can do to better prepare ourselves for unpredictable rainstorms and risk of flooding to increase our resiliency. Join Sasha Benevides, Community Outreach Coordinator, Conservation Halton to learn about how nature-based solutions, also known as Low Impact Development (LID), … More Manage Rain Where it Falls
Transportation emissions account for about 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Burlington. Changing the way you commute to sustainable or active transportation will help us meet our greenhouse gas target to be a net carbon neutral community by 2050. Changes coming to Burlington Transit Starting March 1, 2023, Burlington Transit bus drivers will ask … More Kids can tap into free rides on Burlington Transit
Are you or do you know a Halton student in grade 7 to 12 passionate about protecting the environment and looking to earn 20 community involvement hours? If so, then you might be interested in an upcoming Generation Green opportunity. What is Generation Green? Generation Green is a youth-led initiative to engage Halton students in … More Register for the Generation Green Youth Conference
On February 2, wear your favourite sweater and celebrate National Sweater Day. What is National Sweater Day? National Sweater Day is a campaign encouraging Canadians to show their support for limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. What can you do? Turn down your thermostat by 1.5 degrees Celsius or more and wear your … More Put on a sweater and learn about a new energy savings program
“Slip slidin’ away” goes the old Paul Simon song. Every winter, slipping and sliding along sidewalks and driveways is a problem that most residents face multiple times throughout the season. As a home or business owner, what are your responsibilities and options to reduce the hazards caused by our Canadian weather? Be Nice, Clear Your … More Winter, sidewalks, snow and ice … Oh my!
It’s January – it’s cold and it’s dark. Does your home need an energy efficiency upgrade? Have you considered installing a heat pump? Do you want to learn more about energy incentive programs? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might be interested in registering for one of these upcoming events: … More Upcoming Events on Energy Efficiency – Learn about Heat Pumps and More
It’s hard to believe we started the Take Action Burlington blog seven years ago as a place to highlight the City of Burlington’s environmental accomplishments, profile community initiatives and events, and promote tips for home, work and play to reduce our collective footprint. Since then, we have published 173 posts and over the past five … More 2022: A Year in Review
The City of Burlington has created a “Guide to Tree Protection” to help property owners and applicants navigate tree protection and the City’s tree by-laws, with a focus on the Private Tree By-law. The free guide is available online at burlington.ca/forestprotection. Information in the Guide includes: The Guide also features helpful illustrations that highlight key … More New online guide available to help navigate tree protection and tree permits in Burlington
The City of Burlington has received an A grade in our second year of climate reporting through the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), an improvement from last year’s B grade. Burlington is one of 13 municipalities in Canada and 122 municipalities around the world to get an A grade, out of over 1,000 cities, states and … More Sharing our climate action progress with the world again
Did you notice how vibrant the fall colours have been this year? This is due to the combination of enough summer rain so that the trees are not stressed, and an autumn with warm, sunny days and cool (though not too cold) nights. With the changing landscape comes the reality of falling leaves. Many of … More Relax, don’t rake.
After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, the Halton Children’s Water Festival returned to Kelso Conservation Area this past September and welcomed back about 700 students for an in-person program focused on protecting water in our community. This was the 15th year for the festival which has educated about 50,000 elementary school students with the … More Halton Children’s Water Festival – A Successful Return
Conservation Halton’s Healthy Neighboursheds workshops are back this month. Register to attend one, two or all three online Zoom sessions. This year, there’s also an in-person workshop. All sessions are $8 each. See below for additional details. Virtual Zoom Workshops, Thursdays, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Getting Started: How “Rainscaping” Can Protect Your Property – Oct. … More October Workshops: Working with Nature to Create Healthy Gardens
Join BurlingtonGreen for a full day of action for the planet at Burlington Centre including: Bring your e-waste and other unique waste to the drive-thru where volunteers will accept: Date and Location Outdoors: Saturday, Oct. 15 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Burlington Centre Parking Lot, 777 Guelph Line (at Guelph Line/Fairview Street) More … More Local Action for the Planet Event
Transportation (gas/diesel-powered vehicles) is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in Burlington. To help combat this, the City partnered with BurlingtonGreen, a local non-profit environmental organization, to complete our first community based Electric Mobility Strategy. It was important to work with an organization like BurlingtonGreen to develop a community-based plan and engage with … More Electric and Sustainable Mobility in Burlington
It’s that time of year again with the last few carefree summer days and the return to routines. For those of you responsible for school aged children, you may be hearing increased groans or anxiety about the prospect of returning to school while at the other end of the spectrum, perhaps excitement about reconnecting with … More Back to School Eco-Friendly Tips
Did you know that the City is working towards net carbon neutral operations by 2040? A pathway to achieve this Vision 2040 Strategic Plan goal is laid out in the Corporate Energy and Emissions Management Plan: 2019-2024 with progress reports presented to City Council every year. This post highlights some of the ongoing projects and … More Burlington leading by example to reduce carbon footprint
On July 12, 2022, Burlington City Council approved Burlington’s first climate adaptation plan called Climate Resilient Burlington (CRB): A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather. Background With this new plan, the City of Burlington is now addressing both aspects of climate change: Climate mitigation, or reducing greenhouse gas emissions, through the … More City Council Approves Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather
The City is adding more EV (electric vehicle) charging stations to support electric mobility in our community. With funding support from TAF (The Atmospheric Fund), we are installing eight more charging stations each with two charging plugs at: Appleby Ice Centre (2 stations) Haber Community Centre/Norton Park Mainway Ice Centre Mountainside Community Centre Nelson Recreation … More Charge Your Ride!
The popularity of backyard staycations and pools increased when travel plans were altered over the last two years. While backyard pools offer a refreshing and fun option creating many lifelong memories, it’s important to follow some basic environmentally-friendly actions. Good eco-friendly pool, spa and hot tub maintenance starts with knowing about sanitary and storm sewers … More Eco-friendly tips to maintain your pool, hot tub and spa this summer
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